J.J. Putz | Relief Pitcher

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J.J. Putz has been hired by the Diamondbacks as special assistant to president/CEO Derrick Hall.

Putz never officially announced he was retiring after being released by the D'Backs in June, but he's apparently decided to begin a new career. The 37-year-old struggled with injuries late in his career but still finished with a 3.08 ERA and 599/184 K/BB ratio over 566 2/3 innings across his 12 seasons. He made the All-Star team once in 2007 with the Mariners. Thu, Nov 6, 2014 07:08:00 PM

Putz was designated for assignment a week ago and now is officially a free agent. The Diamondbacks are on the hook for the remaining portion of his $7 million salary from this season, so he'll be able to easily find someone willing to give him a prorated portion of the veteran minimum. Putz holds a 6.59 ERA over 18 appearances this season but posted four straight seasons of sub-3.00 ERAs before that. Fri, Jun 27, 2014 08:42:00 AM

Diamondbacks designated RHP J.J. Putz for assignment.

The former closer missed over a month of action with a forearm issue and hasn't pitched well when healthy, posting a 6.59 ERA over 18 appearances. He'll pass through waivers unclaimed given his $7 million salary, but someone will take a gamble on Putz in hopes that he regains his past form. Fri, Jun 20, 2014 05:02:00 PM

Diamondbacks activated RHP J.J. Putz from the 15-day disabled list.

Putz had scoreless rehab appearances on Thursday and Friday, clearing the way for his return to the Diamondbacks' bullpen. He'll be used in a setup role. Mon, Jun 9, 2014 07:05:00 PM

Depth Charts

Oscar Hernandez is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a fractured left hamate bone.

Hernandez hurt the hand Tuesday, and he's going for surgery Thursday to have the bone repaired. It's a small blessing in disguise for the Diamondbacks, who now have a few more weeks to decide whether to keep the Rule 5 pick on their 25-man roster. The 21-year-old's injury could open the door for prospect Peter O'Brien to break camp with the club, but nothing has been decided yet.

Chris Owings went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple as the Diamondbacks topped the Indians 3-2 in Cactus League action.

Even with the two-hit attack though, Owings is hitting just .222 (6-for-27) with no homers and five RBI on the spring, and could be in danger of losing his job to Nick Ahmed. The 23-year-old possesses an intriguing blend of power and speed, but will have to remain on the field to carve out mixed league value this season.

Arroyo underwent Tommy John elbow surgery last July and probably won't be an option for the Diamondbacks until sometime in August. The veteran right-hander is due $9.5 million this season and carries an $11 million club option (or $4.5 million buyout) for 2016.

Patrick Corbin (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday for the first time since Tommy John surgery last March.

Corbin, who is now exactly one year removed from the surgery, said it was "awesome" and "exciting." The 25-year-old southpaw still has to move from bullpens to facing hitters and then game action, so he has a while to go in his rehab process, but he could join the D-Backs' rotation around June if all goes well. Corbin had a 3.41 ERA over 32 starts in 2013 and made the National League All-Star team.

Addison Reed is altering his delivery as a means to reduce stress on his shoulder.

Reed is working on not throwing across his body as much. "We're definitely not taking away going across my body," said Reed. "I've been doing that since I was in college. I'm still going to step across, but just not as far." The closer insists that he's feeling "100 percent," but the fact that he's tweaking his delivery in part to ease stress on his shoulder throws up a red flag. Reed has yet to appear in a Cactus League game but insists he'll be ready for Opening Day.

Ziegler required microfracture surgery on his left knee last September, but everything has gone according to plan with his rehab process. He shouldn't need too many outings to get ready for the season. The 35-year-old sidearmer had a 3.49 ERA and 54/24 K/BB ratio across 67 innings in 2014 and should serve as a set-up man for Addison Reed this season.

The Diamondbacks received good news on Friday when MRI results revealed no ligament damage in the elbow of reliever Matt Stites.

It's the second MRI that Stites has undergone as he had been bothered by a sore elbow since the beginning of spring camp. This one, as well as the first, revealed only inflammation. He's still likely to begin the season on the disabled list, but should be an option for the Diamondbacks bullpen early in the season.

David Hernandez (elbow) threw off a mound Tuesday for the first time since Tommy John surgery.

Hernandez had his Tommy John surgery last April, but he should be able to make it back to the Diamondbacks before teammate Patrick Corbin since he's a reliever. Barring any setbacks, he should return sometime in May.